Dwight Howard Says Infamous Stan Van Gundy Interview 'Worst Day of My Life'

Dwight Howard's NBA career has been filled with turbulent moments, but the eight-time All-Star recalls one that stands above the rest.

Appearing on ESPN's The Jump, Howard called the Stan Van Gundy interview "the worst day of my life."

"The first question is like 'Dwight, they said you wanted to get Stan fired.' I was like 'Oh, my God," he said. "That was literally the worst day of my life. We had a game that night. And that was the worst game I ever played. Like, I could not hit the basket for nothing. And you would have thought—I don't know what was going on that night, but it was the worst ever."

The moment occurred April 5, 2012, when Van Gundy was head coach of the Orlando Magic and Howard was the best player on the team.

Van Gundy told reporters prior to a game against the New York Knicks that he learned from Orlando management that Howard wanted him fired.

"I was told it was true by people in our management," Van Gundy said. "So right from the top."

Howard came up moments later, put his arm around Van Gundy and joked about the game before being questioned about his coach's comments.

The Magic fired Van Gundy the following month after the Indiana Pacers eliminated Orlando from the playoffs in the first round.

Howard was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in August 2012 and spent one season with the team. He has since gone on to play for the Houston Rockets, Atlanta Hawks and Charlotte Hornets.